Get with the Program: Bob’s Burgers

Airs: Sundays at 8:30/7:30c starting September 30th on FOX (Also available on Netflix Instant)

TV show equation: Bob’s Burgers = same slighty off-kilter with a smattering sweet comedy as Parks and Recreation+ obvious connection to The Simpsons in that it is also an animated show about a family of 5 x voice talent and music stylings of Flight of the Conchords – New Zealand x Coney Island-esque setting

Premise in a Sentence: A struggling burger restauranteur finds it difficult to manage his employees, who happen to also be his children.

Oh Bob’s Burgers, how can I say in a mere blog post what it’s taken me two seasons to understand? You’ve got it, mister. I’m yours, all of me.

I had to borrow that line from a family classic because I’m having a hard time figuring out how to appropriately gush and educate at the same time. So, what I think I am going to do is run through the Belcher clan:

1. Bob – One of Bob’s most refreshing elements is that instead of having a crazy, bumbling dad amidst a more straight family, Bob gets to play the straight man in this brood punctuated by H. Jon Benjamin’s dry delivery. (Don’t ask me why, but I find his voice really sexy. Don’t look at me like that!) Sure, he has his moments of crazy, but his best moments come when he has no choice but to laugh at how ridiculous his kids can be.

2. Linda – I can’t rave about John Roberts’ performance here enough. With Linda, he and the writers have created this perfect mom character that is equal parts fun-loving, kooky, nagging, and invested in her family. I swear to you, the way her/his lines are delivered will have you quoting them non-stop. At least that’s what I have been doing.

3. Tina – Probably my favorite character. Why? Hmm, maybe because she writes erotic friend fiction. Or maybe because she is mainly concerned with the location of her crush, Jimmy Jr.’s butt. Or maybe because her budding sexuality is getting all mixed up with her nightmares, causing her to fantasize about slow dancing zombies. You be the judge.

4. Gene – He finds music everywhere he goes, whether it be in the walls of an abandoned taffy factory, in his own farts, or in the noises his grandparents make while getting intimate in the room next door. Also, being the middle child he is typically trying to get attention in the worst ways at the worst times.

5. Louise – Don’t let the pink bunny ears fool you, Louise is an evil genius. Whether she is convincing an entire town that their burgers are made of human flesh, coaching Tina in kissing by making her tie a banana peel with her tongue (“A kiss is like a fight with mouths”), or trying to get out of PE by lying about doing synchronized swimming.

Please, just trust me when I tell you that if you laugh even once during the video below, then you should be watching this show. And if you don’t then there is something wrong with you. Alright!